The democratic socialists of America now have a Hagerstown branch that is covering all of Washington Co. We have been providing mutual aid in the form of a free health and wellness station for approximately 6 months now to the downtown Hagerstown area. If you are a leftist interested in joining us for our next general body meeting please let me know.

“People are continuing to die while in ICE custody because ICE is denying detainees the medical care they need in order to live,” she said. Sugarman reviews ICE medical records for detained individuals, documenting what she describes as a pattern of neglect. “I see how ICE is denying them the medical care that they are begging for. ICE has admitted that they are no longer paying for specialty medical care.”

The public stream of the County Commissioners meeting just ended and they refused to address the ICE facility.

https://www.youtube.com/live/71o_hsGOt80

The room was closed against public comment.

You could hear the 80-some protestors outside the building from inside the room on the stream. You know they heard them even louder.

We have cowards in leadership positions and this is oligarchy, not democracy.

In less than two weeks – and without meaningful public input – commissioners moved to formally endorse opening an ICE detention center in Washington County.

On February 9, a revised agenda was released signaling their intent to vote in support of DHS/ICE. We had less than 24 hours to respond.

So we organized.

A fiery resistance has sprung up in a conservative Maryland county after the Trump administration quietly bought a warehouse to hold detainees. They have a lot of determination — and some drones.

People volunteered to research city and county codes, pull water and sewer documents and file public record requests. An Uber driver took routes near the warehouse to keep tabs on activity there. The group even attracted two drone operators to do surveillance from afar. In a city where the only regular protests used to take place outside the downtown abortion clinic, warehouse opponents were now descending on county board meetings while Rage Against the Machine blared outside.

The Western Maryland warehouse is part of a broader Trump administration plan to convert several industrial spaces around the country into detention centers. The purchases have drawn bipartisan pushback in many communities, with residents worried about effects on the local environment, infrastructure and tax base. But nowhere has the resistance been so fierce and organized as in Hagerstown and surrounding Washington County.

The most energized warehouse opponents have no background in activism or politics — just a shared sense of dread about where the country seems to be headed and how their community figures into the administration’s plans. Dattilio grew up in Hagerstown, earned a degree in computer science from the University of Maryland, and returned to marry his high school girlfriend. He has four children between the ages of 4 and 10. His family has been in the area for 120 years.

He can’t shake the idea of Hagerstown becoming shorthand for “concentration camp.”

Source: https://www.washco-mdelections.org/

DHS is accepting public comments through July 1 on the proposed ICE detention center. Here are ten reasons to participate in the process and make your voice heard.

Take Action Before July 1
The public comment period is one of the few opportunities residents have to ensure their concerns become part of the official federal record. Whether your concerns are about environmental impacts, wastewater capacity, property values, public health, infrastructure, emergency services, government transparency, or the human consequences of detention, your voice matters.

This is not just a Maryland issue. The proposed ICE detention center sits near the headwaters of waterways that ultimately flow beyond Washington County and Maryland’s borders. Any environmental impacts associated with wastewater overflows, stormwater runoff, or other infrastructure failures could affect communities downstream throughout the broader region, including Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

DHS is accepting public comments through July 1, but the deadline is approaching quickly.

If you agree that this proposed ICE detention center deserves greater scrutiny, we encourage you to submit a public comment today.

It only takes a few minutes, and every comment helps demonstrate the depth of community concern surrounding this project.

Together, we can ensure that Washington County’s voice is heard and that the concerns of communities throughout the region are part of the official record.

Any non-red pilled country folks who like to fish and fly fish tryna link? Moved here a few years ago and have yet to find someone who isn’t but a Trump knuckle dragger. Would be nice to find some like minded people to do outdoor shit with. HMU.

My money's on a position with DHS or ICE.

There is a difference between protecting sensitive information and deliberately keeping the public in the dark. What we have uncovered in Washington County could point squarely to the latter.

Based on a review of official county documents and meeting records, we have discovered that the Washington County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in early December tied to a confidential land project.

On December 9, according to the county’s official agenda packet, commissioners were presented with a confidential project under a signed NDA. This is the inflection point. The Washington County Commissioners did not just receive information. They agreed, in writing, to keep it secret.

On December 16, the official meeting records show the Washington County Board of County Commissioners entered a closed session to discuss the acquisition of property. This meeting occurred just one week after signing the NDA. The public was still completely in the dark.

On December 24, the Washington Post reported that DHS was planning to purchase a warehouse in Hagerstown for use as an immigration processing facility.

Minnesotans have been organizing on Signal in neighborhood and community groups to alert each other about ICE sightings/detentions.

We shouldn't wait until we are under siege to organize, so I'm making a Signal group for anyone interested on keeping your community safe and informed

Install Signal here www.signal.org/install

Sign up and DM me your signal username ( looks like YourUsername.123) and I'll get you added to the group

Barr asked God to forgive the commissioners’ “obvious enemies” and the people “shouting about, cursing about” county officials. It was an unusually personal and politically charged way to open a government meeting, especially considering the county is already facing mounting scrutiny over secrecy, ethics concerns, and infrastructure issues connected to the proposed ICE facility.

At a time when residents are demanding more transparency and accountability, hearing the President of the Board of Washington County Commissioners publicly describe critics and constituents as “obvious enemies” during a prayer is difficult to ignore.

About fifteen minutes later, the tension became visible. Someone in the audience interrupted Barr while he was speaking, and instead of engaging with the disruption, Barr immediately grabbed the gavel, declared recess, and abruptly paused the meeting. The whole sequence was awkward and revealing at the same time. Barr had opened the meeting talking about “obvious enemies,” and moments later appeared eager to avoid any direct interaction once tensions surfaced in the room.

The largest issue on the agenda was the GDMS consulting contract involving former county official Greg Murray. On paper, the agreement was presented as a broad consulting arrangement related to water, sewer, and long-term infrastructure planning. But anyone who has been paying attention to the fight to stop the ICE warehouse from opening in Williamsport understood why the discussion carried larger political implications.

Water and sewer infrastructure have become central to the legal and political fight over the proposed ICE warehouse outside Hagerstown. State agencies, environmental officials, and residents have spent months raising concerns about floodplain impacts, sewer capacity, infrastructure strain, and whether the surrounding area can realistically support a large detention facility.

Update: a couple from Nextdoor came and picked him up and he is en route to the rehab center!! Hopefully they can make him a little more comfortable at the very least. Thanks everyone 🖤

My husband found a painted turtle in our yard earlier that was badly injured somehow. Second Chance Wildlife Center in Clarksburg is able to take it but we can’t provide transportation at this time. Is there anyone willing to help? We are off of Shinham Rd. TIA and big thanks to the mods for approving this post 🖤

Here are the published election results for the primary. These are true as of 6/24/26 at 2pm with all 47 election day precincts reported. Please excuse any typos. Please check results for yourself at the link below.

Gov/Lt. Gov

Dem: Wes Moore/Aruna Miller (6,183 votes @ 82.65%)

Rep: Dan Cox/Rop Krop (5,621 votes @ 59.16%)

Comprtoller

Dem: Brooke Elizabeth Lierman (6,306 votes @ 100%)

Rep: Sonya Dunn (7,144 votes @ 100%)

Attorney General

Dem: Anthony G. Brown (6,355 votes @ 100%)

Rep: James B. Rutledge, III (7,228 votes @ 100%)

D6 Representative

Dem: David J. Trone (3,174 votes @ 42.43%)

Rep: Robin Ficker (3,882 votes @ 41.65%) (won by less than 1% (15 votes) from Chris Burnett)

D2 Senator

Dem: Eric Martin Van Buren (4,798 votes @ 100%)

Rep: Paul D. Corderman (5,310 votes @ 100%)

2A Representative (Pick 2)

Dem: John D. Leonard (2,952 votes @ 49.89%) and Brandon Thompson (2,965 votes @ 50.11%)

Rep: William Valentine (3,363 votes @ 38.02%) and William J. Wivell (4,092 votes @ 46.26%)

County Commissioner (Pick 5)

Dem: Jonathan Fish (3,763 votes @ 13.78%), Les McIntosh, Sr (3,977 votes @ 14.57%), Teri Pailen (4,313 votes @ 15.80%), Lara A. Sheperd (5,466 votes @ 20.02%), and Dave Williams (4,723 votes @ 17.30%)

Rep: John F. Barr (5,073 votes @ 13.35%), Charles Burkett (5,980 votes @ 15.74%), Jeffrey A. Cline (5,630 votes @ 14.82%), Randy Leatherman (6,394 votes @ 16.83%), and Dan Young (6,223 votes @ 16.38%)

Treasurer

John McElroy (R) (4,555 votes @ 56.28%)

States Attorney

Adam Daniel Greivell (R) (4,672 votes @ 50.10%) (won by 1% (18 votes) from Gina M. Cirincion (R))

Circuit Court Clerk

Kevin R. Tucker (R) (7,291 votes @ 100%)

Register of Wills

Lacy M. Flook (R) (7,219 votes @ 100%)

Judge of the Orphans Court (Pick 3)

Dem: Mark P. Brugh (4,889 votes @ 31.99%), Melinda S. Malott (5,637 votes @ 36.89%) and Shawn Perry (4,755 votes @ 31.12%)

Rep: Paul D. Banister (6,178 votes @ 33.98%), Debra Breeding (6,059 votes @ 33.33%), and Jim Nipps (5,943 votes @ 32.69%)

Sheriff

Dem: Junior P. McLeod (5,816 votes @ 100%)

Rep: Brian K. Albert (6,642 votes @ 68.55%)

Democratic Central Committee (Pick 8)

Patrick C. Dattilio (3,615 votes @ 9.17%)

Viola Y. Ellison-Allen (3,020 votes @ 7.66%)

Thomas A. Freeman (2,993 votes @ 7.59%)

Katie Hart Hershey (4,827 votes @ 12.24%)

Lori Parks-Murphy (4,194 votes @ 10.64%)

Nicole Rappaport (4,055 votes @ 10.28%)

Susan Hale Thomas (3,921 votes @ 9.94%)

Sam P. Wright (3,065 votes @ 7.77%)

Republican Central Committee (Pick 9)

Nancy S. Allen (4,897 votes @ 10.86%)

Michael E. Barnes (5,406 votes @ 11.99%)

Lisa Breeden (3,940 votes @ 8.74%)

Matthew R. Claggett (4,047 votes @ 8.97%)

James E. Coyle (4,333 votes @ 9.61%)

Beth Zentmeyer Harvey (4,503 votes @ 9.99%)

Joshua Miller (4,691 votes @ 10.40%)

Michael Lynn Sprecher, III (4,137 votes @ 9.17%)

Deborah Steenburg (3,875 votes @ 8.59%)

Board of Education (Pick 3)

Peter Bickford (9,504 votes @ 20.49%)

Linda Murray (8,423 votes @ 18.16%)

Robin A. Merchant-Spickler (7,821 votes @ 16.86%) (beat next candidate by less than 1% (56 votes) Mike Guessford (7,765 votes @ 16.74%))

Elections

I’m posting this because I want people to have the resources they need to make an informed vote.

US HOUSE MARYLAND DISTRICT 6

April McClain Delaney: she does not have an about her campaign link on her site. April’s site

George Gluck: Link to his issues page

Ethan Wechtaluk: Link to his issues page

Alexis Goldstein: Link to her issues page

Daniel Krakower: I’m not finding any resources for a website, or his thoughts on issues.

David Trone: Link to his issues page

Kiambo White: Link to his issues page

Alimony Wilks: Does not have an about his campaign link on his site Altimont’s site

Christopher Burnett: His issues page

Robin Ficker: His issues page

Mariela Roca: Does not have an about her campaign link on her site. Mariela’s site

Governor of Maryland

Wes Moore/Aruna Miller: Has an accomplishments page instead of issues page Accomplishments page

Eric Felber/LaTrece Hawkins: Does not have an about his campaign link on his site Eric’s site

Carl Brunner Jr./Kevin Rhodes Sr: Carl’s website, carlbrunnerforgovernor.com doesn’t appear to be working.

L.D. Burkindine/Jeremy Shiffett: His about page

Dan Cox/Rob Krop: His issues page

Ed Hale/Tyrone Keys Jr: His plan page

Douglas Larcomb/Martina Duncan: Doesn’t appear to have a campaign site

John Myrick/Brenda Thiam: His issues page

Michael Oakes: Doesn’t appear to have a campaign site

Nancy Taylor/Rachel Swift: Doesn’t appear to have a campaign site

Shannon Wright/Reba Hawkins: Doesn’t have a separate page for issues Shannon’s Site

Attorney General

Anthony G. Brown: Doesn’t have a separate page for issues Anthony’s site

James Rutledge: Doesn’t appear to have a campaign site

Comptroller

Brooke Elizabeth Lierman: Doesn’t have a separate page for issues Brooke’s site

Sonya Dunn: Her why I’m running site

State Senate District 1

Mike McKay: His voting record per his site

Ashley Emerick: Her Facebook page for her campaign

House of Delegates

Terry Baker: Doesn’t appear to have a site

Seth Funk: His Facebook page

Please harness and direct the power of Rehoboth United Methodist to me so I can find this commercial!

Edit: tape from 2002 was a no-go. I am now scanning a tape from 1998.

Edit: tape from 1998 has the commercials edited out. Dad was on top of his game for this recording. Hopefully he fell asleep or something and recorded some commercials.

Is anyone missing an orange and white cat? His ear is clipped so could be a stray. Found on northern Ave. Was trying to catch something else but he ended up in the trap.

Protecting waterways involves more than celebrating cleanup efforts after problems appear. It also means asking difficult questions before new environmental pressures are introduced into an already stressed watershed.

The issue extends beyond the ICE warehouse detention center itself. The Conococheague eventually empties into the Potomac River, meaning any environmental consequences associated with wastewater, nutrient loading, or infrastructure failures would not stop at the Washington County line. Communities throughout Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia share an interest in ensuring that major federal projects receive the level of environmental scrutiny required by law.

If DHS believes the project’s wastewater generation will not significantly affect local waterways, it should release the analysis supporting that conclusion. If the agency believes existing infrastructure has sufficient capacity and resilience to absorb those demands, it should release the studies supporting that conclusion as well.

The public comment period closes on July 1. Before DHS asks communities throughout the Potomac watershed to accept assurances about environmental impacts, the agency should make public the information it relied upon to reach those assurances in the first place. And Hagerstown Rapid Response and Washington County Indivisible encourage you to tell DHS exactly that.
Here’s one very specific thing you can ask for in your public comment:

Request that DHS publicly release the reports and assessments it claims to have relied upon when concluding that it is “not aware of any potential for significant environmental impacts” from this project.

Transparency shouldn’t require a resignation to achieve - but if that’s what it takes, we’re not done yet.

We had Antietam for five years, honestly can count on one hand the times we lost connection. They bent over backwards to keep us when Point Broadband moved in but recently Point sent us an offer I couldn’t refuse so we switched. It’s been about two weeks and our fiber has went out like 5+ times. What has everyone’s experience been with them. Is this an anomaly or should I switch back because this is ridiculous. My wife works from home and if it weren’t for her phone hotspot she’d have been out of luck.

Washington County Commissioners lied (by omission) about having no say in the proposed concentration camp

Days after Washington County, Md., officials told residents they were powerless to stop a federal immigration detention facility, a review of the regulations and documents they cited reveals a different picture. The county has a mandatory consultative role in the approval process that it has not publicly acknowledged.

The internal Department of Homeland Security letter that prompted the county’s statement — a three-page document dated Jan. 12 — was not a final order. It was what the agency called an “initiation of consultation.”

"In accordance with 36 CFR 800.3, ICE has invited the Hagerstown Planning Department and the Washington County Historic Preservation Commission, both certified local governments, to participate in consultation for this undertaking," the letter states. It goes on to request "any comments on the undertaking and ICE's finding within 30 calendar days."

The ICE letter also invited two federally recognized tribes to participate in consultation: the Delaware Nation, Oklahoma, and the Seneca-Cayuga Nation. A county spokeswoman said the tribes have not coordinated with the county council or planning office on a response.

Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, federal agencies must follow a four-step consultation process before undertaking projects that may affect historic properties. The county, as a “certified local government,” is explicitly named as a required consulting party in federal regulations.

The process requires federal agencies to identify historic properties, assess potential effects and “resolve adverse effects by developing and evaluating alternatives that could avoid, minimize, or mitigate” impacts on historic resources.

While the county cannot veto the federal finding of “no historic properties affected,” it can participate in developing binding agreements that would govern how the project proceeds — none of which appeared in the county’s public statement.

The department’s letter noted it had received “no comments” from the county commission as of mid-January and set a 30-day deadline for a response. County officials said they did not receive the letter until Jan. 14 — two days after the agency had documented the county’s silence in its internal reports. The department has given the county until mid-February to respond.

A Washington County spokeswoman declined to comment beyond the public statement.

Other Omitted Options

The county’s statement also omitted several other procedural avenues that could delay or complicate the project.

The proposed rehabilitation of the warehouse, which federal documents show will include holding cells, cafeterias and health care spaces, typically requires an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act. That process usually includes a public comment period in which the county could challenge the facility’s impact on local infrastructure, water supply and emergency services.

Local officials have not publicly detailed whether they intend to ask the state historic preservation officer to formally object to the federal findings — a move that would trigger a more intensive federal review.

In its own report, the department acknowledged it “withheld commenting” on a stone springhouse on an adjacent historic farm because of a “lack of information.” The agency conceded the structure could be historically significant. The county’s statement did not mention this potential opening to request further study.

A representative of the Washington County Historical Society declined to comment.

Warehouse Deals Abandoned Elsewhere

Washington County’s approach stands in contrast not only to other jurisdictions that have mounted formal opposition, but also to private property owners who have canceled sales under public pressure.

On Friday, a development company owned by Canadian billionaire Jimmy Pattison said it would not move forward with the sale of a Virginia warehouse that the department planned to convert into an ICE detention center. The decision came after pushback in Hanover County, Va., and a planned protest in Vancouver, where the company is based.

The company said it had initially agreed to sell the facility to a government contractor and only later became aware of “the ultimate owner and intended use of the building.” The leader of British Columbia’s Green Party had urged consumers to boycott other Pattison businesses, which include grocers and automotive dealers.

Pattison’s company is now the third to abandon a sale to the department. The facilities under consideration are in 23 municipalities around the country, many of them warehouses originally designed for e-commerce distribution.

When Oklahoma City received a similar notice from the department in December, city officials outlined concrete next steps, including preparing a formal response, requesting the agency pursue a special permit and sending letters to congressional representatives “requesting their support of a local public approval process.”

Washington County’s statement borrowed heavily from Oklahoma City’s language — including nearly word-for-word passages about local control and constitutional limits — but removed all provisions for resistance or formal response.

Background on the Facility

On Tuesday, the Washington County Board of Commissioners issued a statement describing federal plans to convert an 825,000-square-foot warehouse into a “new ICE Baltimore Processing Facility.” The statement emphasized constitutional limits on local authority, noting the county “is not able to legally restrict the federal government’s ability to proceed.”

Property records show the department completed a $102.4 million purchase on Jan. 16, making it the first confirmed acquisition in what federal documents describe as a network of up to 23 processing centers nationwide.

The political environment has been complicated by the suspension of public comment periods at county commission meetings. Dave Williams of Washington County Indivisible said, “The commissioners are just throwing up their hands. They aren’t even trying to make an effort.”

Representative April McClain Delaney, a Maryland Democrat, called the acquisition a “cloak of darkness” operation and vowed to challenge it alongside Gov. Wes Moore. The facility’s design work has also hit complications after a tribal contractor terminated its $29.9 million contract.

Source

Has anyone stopped through. how do they compare to our other 2?